Thread: The new Republican Party?

Is this what the new Republican party really is? Is this what People who vote in republican primaries are looking for?

I was sitting watching MSNBC earlier and this is the picture that came across. The had a headline beneath it that said "New Republican Party?" I almost got sick to my stomach. If this is really what the republican party is going to be after 2008 then I think it's time for me to take my ball and go home.

This is what you get for letting the establishment take you for a ride. Either stick to your principles, or just sell out entirely to the party hacks. (Romney's just about finished, not that he's much better.)

Originally Posted by Defensor

This is what you get for letting the establishment take you for a ride. Either stick to your principles, or just sell out entirely to the party hacks. (Romney's just about finished, not that he's much better.)

What do you mean that Romney's about finished? He is still a tough, intelligent and very popular contender. He still stands an excellent chance of surpassing McCain.

Originally Posted by Mr Small c Conservative

Is this what the new Republican party really is? Is this what People who vote in republican primaries are looking for?

I was sitting watching MSNBC earlier and this is the picture that came across. The had a headline beneath it that said "New Republican Party?" I almost got sick to my stomach. If this is really what the republican party is going to be after 2008 then I think it's time for me to take my ball and go home.

Do you believe everything that the media shovels your way? You're a Romney supporter, which means that you're intelligent so I hope not.

Originally Posted by Bourne

What do you mean that Romney's about finished? He is still a tough, intelligent and very popular contender. He still stands an excellent chance of surpassing McCain.

That's provided he actually runs his campaign right, unlike last night at the debate.

McCain, like him or not he's polling as the ONLY candidate that can beat both Hillary and Obama. If you're a Republican, right now he's your only chance to keep the white house. Better get used to that post Convention unconditional love for McCain
RealClearPolitics - Election 2008 - National Polls

Originally Posted by Mr Small c Conservative

Is this what the new Republican party really is? Is this what People who vote in republican primaries are looking for?

I was sitting watching MSNBC earlier and this is the picture that came across. The had a headline beneath it that said "New Republican Party?" I almost got sick to my stomach. If this is really what the republican party is going to be after 2008 then I think it's time for me to take my ball and go home.

Mr. Small c - don't be discouraged! Really - I mean, let me try to share something with you, along those lines. This is a piece of my "personal perspective", and you can take it for whatever it's worth (just two pennies, probably)....

Um... the Republican Party here, my party (I'm a registered Republican, have been prectically my entire voting life) - has been completely destroyed by George W Bush and the evil Neo-Cons.

I mean, like it or not, that's the reality.

And, IMHO, it is about time, that "we" as a Party, stepped up to the plate, admiited that, took responsibility for it, and moved to fix it.

See, what happened there, in 2000, was that these Neo-Weasels tried to forge a "new coalition" within the Party. Prior to that, it was the "Reagan coalition", remember? And that, actually stood for something, it was a principled approach to politics that was based in "traditional conservatism", and so it had a broad appeal within the Party, and it brought something to the table that "everyone could believe in", right? It was a {u]unifying[/u] kind of politics, yes?

But when that idiot Bush got in there, what happened was, he started "re-aligning" pieces of the coalition. He started working with the religious-right types (Ralph Reed and so on), to give the "social conservatives" a greater voice, because, at the time, they represented a huge block of untapped voting power, And, Bushie was able to bring these votes to the table, and that's why he won.

But that coalition there, that he forged, is "un-representative" within the Party. So, what that means is, that the power structure, no longer represents the interests of the Party members. It only represents the ideological interest of a very small subset of the Party. These people, I'm talking about, are not really "conservatives", per se, I would describe them more as "statists" - they are "economically" principled, more than, they are, "politically principled". The politics that comes into play, in terms of things like foreign policy and so on, is all viewed from the satndpoing ot "long-term United States economic interests".

And, because of the lack of political principle in these people, you see the pushing torture, and wiretapping, and the whole nine yards. I mean, Ronald Reagan would be rolling over in his grave at the thought of such things - he would [U}never[/u] have done anything like that!!! If Congress tried to do something like that, I have no doubts whatsoever that Ronald Reagan's pen would have flourished an instant and very visible veto.

So basically, what I'm saying, is that the Republican Party has become corrupt, in every way that matters. Ideologically, politically, morally.... right? And that is exactly the reason, you're seeing these pictures, like what you posted from MS-NBC. The reason these guys are getting clout in the Party, is not because they're "taking over", that's not the case.

What's going on, is that there is widespread recognition developing within the Party, right now, that these Neo-Weasels represent a cancer that needs to be excised from the Party. So, I mean, who are you gonna put in charge, while that's going on? "Cause that's not an overnight exercise, right? People with power like that, they don't give it up willingly.

And I mean, put yourself in the shoes of an RNC official - when you're looking at someone, either one of the up-and-comers, or maybe even a long-term guy that's been in office for a while, how do you really [u]know[/U} where they stand, on issues like this? It's kinda the same thing as talking to a lobbyist, right? You never really know, what their real agenda is - they might be telling you something, and it might even make sense, but there still might be something else going on.

So, what's happening "internally" right now, is kinda this process of "vetting", and "re-vetting", of the people in the power structure. And while this is going on, the Party has temporarily given the reins of power, to the people they know they can trust - these are the center-leaning nationalistic military types like John McCain. The Party knows it can trust these people, because their central issue is also national security, and that's the piece that the Party members seem to care most about.

So, all this is, is a "temporary CEO" type concept - that's all. It's not like "the party is changing forever", kinda thing. That's not what's going on - what's happening is, that McCain and Ahnuld and people like that, they're being given temporary stewardship while the internal soul-searching is being resolved. And I mean, that latter piece there, how it translates, is almost along the same lines as a "re-org" within a corporation, right? Some people move up, some people move down, and it's not really that they're trying to "elevate" people or "punish" people, it's more that they're trying to bring people's "skill sets" in alignment with the needs of the company, right?

That's what's going on, to the best of my knowledge and perception.

Believe me, the conservative base is still very strong. All that's happening is, there's kinda this "re-alignment" of how much power the various "interests" actually have, within the Party.

I think, if I'm not mistaken, the recognition has been, that all this "moral crusading", has brought some very bad stuff to the table, both inside and outside tha party, and the recognition that seems to be emerging "just now", is that, the Party needs to re-focus on practical issues.

And I mean, this, what I'm telling you right now, has been reflected in the current campaign, yes? All the candidates, have been circumscribed in terms fo the "moral crusading" they've tried to do, yes? Ron Paul, has probably been the biggest crusader, and in his case, the crusade is not really "moral" (although it is "ideological"), it more revolves around this concept of "adherence to the contract".

And I mean, you know, six months ago, Ron Paul would have been pigeon-holed as a libertarian kook, by all these Neo-Wing-Nuts in the party, right? But this morning, what are you hearing? I just heard the number two guy on the religious right, come out and tell me on national television, that out of all the candidates who ran on the Republican side this year, Ron Paul was closest, to supporting the entire spectrum of their agenda (pro-life, low taxes, social values, the whole nine yards). See? It's "re-alignment", is all. Dont' be worried, this "shiffling" is going to on for a while. I preduct t'll start settling down in about a year, or so.

And frankly, IMHO, the best thing, right now, would be for the Republicans not to win the Presidency this time around. "We" really need a time out, to get our act together. This, what we have right now, is not gonna work, neither for us, nor for the American People. You know, "I" as a Republican, and even freakin' embarrassed by what's going on over on the Dem side right now. Those people are running a great campaign, and they're even bringing their own party members to heel, which is unheard of among liberals, right? They're doing a marvelous job over there, and I mean, we can't. Right? We can't do a marvelous job, 'cause the only candidate the Party can agree on right now, is John McCain!

And I mean, you know, Senator McCain, is not a bad guy. He's a very good guy. He brings a lot of good stuff to the table. I don't know about you, but I would feel safe with a President McCain. I would feel like at least the military aspect of my nation, was in very good hands. So, you know, all I'm trying to tell you, is "don't lose hope". Just hang out for a while, and give your Party officials some time to get their act together. Hey, these are really smart guyes we're talking about, right? They're know we're out here, and they're not gonna let us down.

nosqrt- Thanks for the response, I agree, I think the best thing for this party might just be to lose. Especially if we are going to be electing someone who stands for open borders, higher taxes and Amnesty I would rather it be a Democrat that brought those policies forward and takes the blame for them. After all, we need to have a Jimmy Carter as a terrible president to give us a Ronald Regan.

The republican party died during the Clinton years. The republicans today think they need to be like Clinton.... lol.... We need, REALLY REALLY need a third party. Sigh..... A new third party... A third party started by Dr. Ron Paul......

Originally Posted by Ronster

The republican party died during the Clinton years. The republicans today think they need to be like Clinton.... lol.... We need, REALLY REALLY need a third party. Sigh..... A new third party... A third party started by Dr. Ron Paul......

Yeah, Ronster, I hear you - but consider now - Ron Paul is a Republican, right? And I mean, this is really very interesting, what you're seeing right now inside the Republican Party.

Ton Paul, it seems to me, has done a marvelous job during this campaign, and he's done a very significan service for We the People of the United States.

'Cause I mean, let's face it, Dr. Paul's voice, would not have had the desired impact, had it come from anywhere but, inside, the Republican Party.

Think about it. Is that not true?

The people who needed to hear Dr. Paul's message, were the Republicans, right? And by golly, they did!!! That's why I shared that little tidbit about the religious right, and I mean, that's been going on all day, I've been tracking it, there are a lot of people talking about this thing now, inside the Republican Party.

And I mean, from my detached perspective as a kind of .... I dunno... "student of human nature", what I see in that, is exactly the kind of self-correcting process, that our political system, was designed to foster! (Thank you Founding Fathers, right? ) -

Know what I mean? It's like, the guys that needed to hear the message, heard it, and now they're going, "hey, you know what, that makes sense, and not only that, but we're finally starting to realize, that you were saying the exact same thing we are, only, using slightly different words", right?

I mean, it's great - it's beautiful! If that continues, my work in politics is done, and there's probably not a whole lot more I can bring to the table, in terms of trying to kick those ostriches in the backside to try to get them to lift their heads out of the sand a little (and I mean, have you ever dealt with a pissed off ostricth? Those are some mean m/f'ing birds!!! )

So, you know, once the Kool-Aid wears off, then there's still the exercise of going back through the trip and trying to identify the moments when you kinda came "close to death" or whatever, right? And I mean, all that, is perfectly healthy. That's exactly what needs to happen.

And, you know, if you really think about it, Dr. Ron Paul's principles are Republican. That's why he's a Republican in the first place! The only time he deviates from that, is when his own party deviates from that! Right?

So yeah - I'm a very happy camper with Dr. Paul. He's a really swell guy, in my book!